Some Things You Just Can't Let Go
by Kuroida
Summary: Two weeks after it was all over. Edward Elric strode through the door to Roy Mustang's office. He's got one more thing to do before he leaves and Ed's totally prepared for it...or at least that's what he thought...Spoilers for end of manga.


Two weeks after it was all over. Edward Elric strode purposely through the door to Roy Mustang's office. He didn't want shouting and screaming. He had to do this right.

"Fullmetal. Turning in your watch are you?" the Colonel...no... _Brigadier General,_ asked looking up from his ever present pile of paperwork.

Ed in turn grinned, it looked like paperwork was one thing not even the great Flame Alchemist could avoid and internally, he was relieved at its presence. It made things seem so..._normal_...just the way it had always been. The world could be destroyed and saved in a fortnight but paperwork would still be there a top a desk belonging to one Roy Mustang.

"Yup. Al and I are gonna head over to the Rockbell's soon after he's well enough to travel. I won't be needing it anymore. We've gotten what we want. Besides, the military doesn't need a state alchemist that can't perform alchemy," Ed replied casually, hands in pockets.

The General smirked his ever present smirk and Ed was once again both sad and happy to see it. Sad because he'd probably never see it again and happy because...well...he'd probably never see it again.

"Oh, and what do you intend to do?" Mustang continued.

"I dunno. Why do you care? We'll figure it out when we get there," Ed snapped, irritated.

So many people had asked that same question over the weeks. He'd asked it to himself years ago but he'd decided not to think about it and instead concentrate in their search. That's all they had ever concentrated on. It had been their driving force. Their reason to live. And now it was over and what was Ed left with now?

It always made Ed's head hurt whenever he thought of it. And he always told himself to take things one step at a time.

Roy smirked once again. It was such an Ed response but it was nice to see. He hated to admit it but he'd miss the little brat with his loud mouth and short complex.

"Looks like you never hit Fuhrer huh?" Ed teased and Roy rolled his eyes. OK, he _might_ miss the kid...probably on a bad day when he needed someone to yell at that is.

"Grumman will be a fine Fuhrer. He's been the Lieutenant General for years. Besides, compared to him, I'm just a kid. I've still got a long way to go."

"Yeah keep thinking that old geezer. What are you turning this year? 31? You're over the hill _General_," Ed teased and Roy rubbed his fingers together only to have both occupants of the room jump almost a foot in the air when a spark sent one of the files on his desk on fire.

_"Oh yeah. He can do it without the gloves now. Doesn't look like he's managing too well."_ Ed thought to himself with a grin as he watched a flustered General hastily pat out the fire.

"I still think you deserved it more," Ed muttered under his breath as the fire was extinguished and Mustang sat back down with a sigh.

Roy seemed to have ears some sort of super powered hearing ability as he actually responded to Ed's mutter.

"Yes well, I can't berate someone else's achievements over my own. Do you think it would make much sense if a Colonel suddenly became the Fuhrer in one day? It's a system not even I can cheat Fullmetal. Grumman is the next in line rank-wise and that is how it must be. I'm not worried. I'm one step closer and Grumman deserved it even though not even he thinks so."

"Yeah. I guess you're right. If it wasn't for him you would have been left out on a loop."

"And he helped lead the Eastern Forces," Roy added.

"Right..."

Ed trailed off as there was really little to say.

"How're the eyes?" Ed asked, hesitantly changing the topic after an awkward silence.

He had noticed that the General's eyes seemed to still be glazed over a bit as if he was still blind but in a few blinks the clearness returned. He was also squinting every so often when he looked up from his paperwork as if trying to adjust faster to the different depths of field was difficult...not that Ed cared or anything. It's just that a blind General was potentially dangerous to the people around him. Especially a blind, pyromaniac General with a huge ego, a lazy ass and a head full of hot air.

Mustang caught Ed's gaze and Ed quickly looked away, absently scratching the back of his head.

Mustang seemed to either not notice Ed staring or decided to ignore it, instead choosing to shrug instead. "They're getting better. Dr. Marcoh said they'll go back to 20-20 after a week or so. You?"

Edward rubbed the shoulder of his right arm, looking at the flesh limb and wiggling his fingers a bit before shrugging, "It's great actually, feels like it never left."

Roy nodded.

Ed would have probably gone on but, behind him, a knock was heard and at Roy's "Enter," Lieutenant Hawkeye suddenly opened the office door with a form in hand.

"It's good to see you're doing well Edward," Hawkeye said casually as she swept by him and placed the form in front on Roy's desk.

"Why does everything have to involve paperwork?" Roy sighed at the appearance of the form in front of him. Edward had just enough time to share a small smile with Hawkeye before forcing his attention back to the General. He then quickly walked over to sit in the chair facing the General as Roy's voice took a more formal tone.

"Well Fullmetal. I'm now officially terminating your contract with the Amestris State Military. By termination you are required to leave all military identification with us and you lose the privilege of access to any military property including your bunker. You may not under any circumstances affiliate yourself with the military for personal or financial gain. If you agree to these conditions just sign."

Ed blinked.

"That's it? I was expecting something...longer?"

"Yes well I don't want things too formal and besides I don't think your _short_ attention span can handle it."

Ed jumped out of his chair.

"WHO YOU CALLING SHORT YOU BASTARD?"

His rant would have gone on further if he hadn't been cut off by the General suddenly laughing at him.

Ed paused, confused. This was different, when the Bastard General had been the Bastard Colonel he never laughed. He usually had that irksome smirk on his face or he would pretend that Ed hadn't practically spontaneously exploded in his face.

When the Col- _General_ was finished he looked at Ed with eyes that gleamed of amusement and affection.

"I'm gonna miss you kid," Mustang sighed with a small sigh, handing the pen over to a shocked Ed who took it in suddenly shaky fingers.

Time seemed to slow to a crawl and Ed prayed that Mustang wouldn't notice his hesitance as he roughly scrawled his signature over the dotted line.

Hawkeye took the form with a reassuring smile that Ed found difficult to return. His mind was still buzzing.

_"He said he's going to miss me..."_

And Ed would never say it out loud but he'd miss the bastard too. And this dingy little office and the ever loyal crew. Hawkeye, Havoc, Fuery, Falman, Breda, Hughes, he'd gotten to know so many people here. So many different memories had affected him just from the experience of being _here_.

In the military.

Under a bastard who wasn't _that_ big of a bastard and a stupid chain of command that actually wasn't that stupid.

Hell, he would have never even met Nina or even his pathetic excuse for a father if he hadn't been on assignments sent by the military.

Structure, friends, family, good times, bad times, _memorable _times. The military had given Ed everything he'd ever wanted. Could he really just throw that out? He was acting like those four years searching for the Stone had been just that but it was so much more. It had shaped his _life_ and deep down, Ed didn't think that it would ever be reshaped. How could it? How could you remove something that was almost physically carved into your very existence?

"It looks like this is it then huh?" Ed asked a bit sadly to the man in front of him.

"Seems like it is Edward," Roy replied, standing up and Ed looked up, shocked.

Fullmetal. It had always been Fullmetal. Not Edward. Never Edward. Things really were over and Ed sadly felt like his world was being shattered into pieces.

Ed nodded silently and gave the General a proper salute, the first and last of his life and the General replied to it without any teasing, much to Ed's relief.

He gave the man a small smile before walking out the door, each footstep echoing in the suddenly dead silent room.

The route ended faster than expected and Ed found himself standing right in front of the door. As he reached for the door handle his mind was buzzing.

Was it really over? Ed knew this would be hard but he'd thought he'd be able to handle it. Boy had he been wrong. Could he really do this?

"You called me Edward," Ed said at last, his hand resting on the door handle, back still turned to the man and his lieutenant behind him and voice depressingly void of any emotion.

Ed heard the General sigh behind him.

"Yes well. You are no longer a member of the State Military. Theoretically you no longer have the right to hold your title as the Fullmetal Alchemist," Mustang explained.

"I've been waiting for years to say that name," Roy said, almost as an afterthought.

Ed easily noticed that Mustang's tone was clipped; different. The General never talked to him like this. It probably the most professional voice that Ed had ever heard spoken to him.

And Ed didn't like it at _all._

"You've been waiting years eh?" Ed asked, spining around.

"YOU BETTER NOW GET USED TO IT BASTARD!" Ed finally shouted , pointing a menacing finger at the said bastard who in turn looked wholly confused.

"I'm only 16! It took 4 years get our bodies back. It's not like the rest of my life is going to be spent with Al and Winry living in the Rockbell Residence! Do I look stupid to you? Sure I'm off to do god knows what but that'll take what? A few years at most right? I've heard the stories. You didn't join the military until what was it? 20? Ha! I'm still younger than that! And bloody Grumman's got to be a hundred years old by now! I've still got years to go! You think just because I can't perform alchemy I'm useless? Well just you wait! In five, ten, hell even _twenty_ years I'll _still_ be alive and kicking your sorry ass day by day! And when I come back..."

Ed took a deep breath.

"YOU BETTER GIVE ME A DAMN GOOD REFERENCE LETTER YOU GOT THAT?"

Ed shouted at the top of his lungs before flinging the door open and walking out of the office.

He heard the creak of the chair as Mustang lowered himself back into it before a voice called out back to him.

"Well then. I'll be waiting."

Ed turned around in the hallway to find the General with the ever present smirk, hands folded under his chin like always, elbows on his desk. Hawkeye was in the corner of the office smiling warmly at him but Ed was drawn once more to Mustang when he leaned back into the chair, hand moving to rest on the arm rests instead.

"Besides," Roy drawled, still smirking and looking at Ed in the hallway.

"You still owe me 520 cens remember _Fullmetal_?"

Ed's eyes widened. To be honest he'd totally forgotten about the promise it wasn't exactly a hard promise. Hell, he probably had the money right now in his pockets but he quickly reverted back to his natural anger.

"Pfft. It's not like you can't afford your own bus fare you cheapskate!"

And with that Ed turned and ran off down the hallway, making sure that Mustang caught a glimpse of the huge grin on his face.

But only a small glimpse.

You can't have a newly appointed Brigadier General get a head filled with even _more _hot air.

Once he was out of the building he paused to catch his breath a bit before absent mindedly stuffing his hands in his pockets and heading off in the direction of the hospital to fetch Al.

However, his hands brushed against something in his cloak and he pulled it out, confused before his eyes widened in shock.

In his hands was his silver State Alchemist watch. That damn Mustang had never actually asked for it back and that had been his whole purpose of even going!

Ed looked down at the watch again with a frown. What he was supposed to do with it was beyond him. It wasn't like he would ever become a State Alchemist again even if he did re-join the military. But it did hold its memories and maybe that was what Mustang had intended.

Hell, you never know with that bastard.

And with a grin Ed put away the watch, happy to have the small lump resting in his pocket and continued on his way.

Mustang would be waiting. Ed still owed him money. And while Mustang was never one to let money run away, Ed was never the one to break a promise. Besides, he still had to prove himself that he could still survive without alchemy and Ed wasn't one to back down on a challenge either.

It wasn't great incentive to the average person but to Edward Elric, it was more than enough.

* * *

AN: This all started when I first saw the hideous mustache on Roy's face at the end of the anime. Plus they put a hat on him to cover up his sexy hair and they didn't show off his new stars on his uniform D:

So, along the way of finding that picture so I could Photoshop the mustache away I suddenly got a huge urging to write an FMA fic (he looks much better after I shaved him btw) XD

And thus, the PowerPuff Girls were born! this fan fic was born.

If/ when I ever write another multi chapter FMA story it will most likely be a follow up of this story. I've got a few ideas here and there but nothing substancial. Plus I'm still writing a fic and I've got another fic in line after that...

There should be computers that you just think it and it'll write it...I should invent one o.o

Anyways, if you liked this story/idea review and let me know!

Reviews make me happy XD


End file.
